ECU receives national award for sending graduates into family medicine

GREENVILLE, N.C.
(Apr. 30, 2007)
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The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University is one of the top 10 medical schools in the country for sending graduates into family medicine, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.

ECU ranks eighth among accredited U.S. medical schools in the percentage of graduates it sends into family medicine residency programs. Representatives of the Brody School of Medicine and the other schools were recognized Friday at the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine meeting in Chicago.

"One of the missions of Brody is to train family physicians," said Dr. Valerie Gilchrist, chairwoman of the ECU Department of Family Medicine. "This award demonstrates our commitment. Our success is due to choosing students who want to do primary care, especially family medicine. All Brody faculty, especially our community-based clinical faculty, can take credit for this award."

Based on a three-year average for the period ending last October, 16.4 percent of the school's graduates have entered an accredited family medicine residency program. No other North Carolina medical school made the top 10, which was led by the University of Kansas School of Medicine, with 21.7 percent of its graduates entering family medicine residencies.

Earlier this month, ECU was ranked sixth among schools that emphasize primary care by U.S. News & World Report magazine. The magazine defines primary care as family medicine, general pediatrics and general internal medicine.

In March, 19 percent of Brody's graduating students matched with family medicine residency programs during the school's annual Match Day. Nine of those 11 will remain in North Carolina for their residency training. The remaining two are doing their residencies in South Carolina.

The AAFP is a national medical association representing more than 94,000 family physicians, family practice residents and medical students interested in family medicine. Family physicians are medical specialists trained in the diagnosis and treatment of the majority of medical problems. Family physicians care for people of all ages and both sexes.

The STFM is an academic organization committed to improving the quality of education in family medicine. Gilchrist is a board member of the society.